The Washington critic., 1887-03-10
JOHN CHARLES FREMONT.

Memoirs of My Life" by John Charles
Fremont, with a sketch of the life of Senator
Benton by Jessie Benton Fremont. Volume l.
This is an elegantly printed book of 6Gj
pages, In which General Fremont presents
in the most attractive manner narrative OF
the first three of his five journeys OF West
Crn exploration, from 1872 to 1917,
blended with II history Of tho events which
led to the conquest OF California. To the
present generation Of Americans 1t is most
valuable, telling them, as II does, of the lr.
resistlble power with which the Institutions
OF their country have expanded, finding as
little lasting impeAiment from the aggres-
sive blitou on the Columbia, as from the
imperIous Splniard who once claimed soy
truiguty over the whole Pacific Coast of the
Western Hemisphere by virtue Of his dis
cuvory of the passage around Cape Horn.
NIrs. Fremont tells the reader OF the
stalwart power and wonderful persistence
with which her illustriuus father overcame
Southern indifference, Eastern jealousy and
English influence, In the work OF freeing
Oregon aud Washington from the Incubus
OF Joint occupation with Great Britain, TO
which humiliation British diplomacy sub
sircere and iuadmissille demands concern
ing a boundary line. He was one of the
Senators first sent from the first OF the
Western States, carved u. OF the Louisiana
purchase, aud his splendid cgotism, born of
conscious power, and disdaning opposition,
well fitted him for the leadership OF the
West, which, from his planting, has grown
from one State to ten, and can, when II
chooses, control the destinies Of the con.
tinent.
Fremont surveyed the route from the
Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, and
explored the Pacific Coast from Vancouver
10 San Diego. lie first taught the world
the geography of the Rocky Mountain re-
cion, the great American Basin, the Sierra
Nevada range and the rich valleys of Cal
i!ornia, which even now yield in grain
alone twice the value OF the products OF
| her mines. Well did he earn the name OF
pathfinder The trusted confidential
agent in California of Presto ent Polk, act.
Ing under instructions given him through
George Bancroft, then Secretary of the
Navy, 1t was his good fortune to be largely
instrumental, ipTsiG, in preventing Callfor-
| hia i'Olh bcibb thc pilCC VI biltlsi iultllcT-
erce In our war with Mexico. Had he been
less alert, brave or discreet, that State
might to-day be British colony. This
story of the conquest Of California is well
told in the memoirs, and well supported
by Official documents; it should be read by
every one who cares 10 know the true his
tory OF that most important event.
Among the Illustrations are portraits OF
General and Mrs Fremont, jefferson, Ben
ton and Napoleon as First Consul. An.
other is one ~ cur esteemed townsman,
General Edward f. Beale, taken forty years
ago, when he was a milshipman in the
navy. OF him General Fremont says:
General Bealc at the date to which refer
was real midshlpman Of the old type;
happy aud spilling over with uucoutrollei I
good spirits as mostly midsnlpmen are used
to be when away from the restraints OF the
ship"
The book is sold by subscription only.
Agent for Washington, W. +. Morse, GEE F
street.
OSE Of the last poems Of the late Philip
Bourke Marston--a pathetic composition
a